Photos: Northern Lights dance over Northwest skies

SEATTLE -- They say patience is a virtue -- it's was also very rewarding to several photographers around the Pacific Northwest eagerly awaiting the Northern Lights Sunday night...and into Monday morning.

A big solar flare hit the planet Saturday night and peaked during the day Sunday. The storm began to fade as the Pacific Coast headed into the late evening, just as a band of clouds moved into Western Washington, making it seem this Northern Lights display may not pan out.

But intrepid photographers headed to the mountains or dark spots anyway, armed with coffee, tripods, blankets and as mentioned, a whole lot of patience.

Sure enough, a few sub storms happened in the main solar storm's aftermath, and the Northern Lights put on a dazzling show in the hours past midnight.